Page 70 of A Light So Blinding
The first one she ducked into was a small pottery shop. The artist was particularly talented at creating vases. They were each hand painted, painstakingly depicting historical moments that all trolls would apparently know. And though she was impressed herself, she wasn’t all that certain that Ylva would be.
Another stall, another interesting feature. This troll seemed talented at growing plants that likely wouldn’t grow here on their own. Each of the tiny flowers was so perfectly unfurled, they looked like little art pieces.
But from what she had seen of Ylva, it was unlikely the woman would want a flower either. She seemed hard around the edges. Less likely to take care of something that delicate.
As she exited the stall, a heavy arm wrapped around her shoulder. For a moment, she thought maybe Bjorn had caught her sneaking out, but then she looked up into a decidedly feminine face attached to a massive body.
“Wandering on your own? Probably not the best idea.”
She’d seen this woman before. But where?
Astrid searched her memory until she remembered this was one of the women who had been wrestling when they’d first arrived in the grotto. “Oh, Tyra, is that right?”
The troll woman seemed to expand a bit with pride. “Good memory, little human. I’m glad you know who I am.”
“I was looking for a gift for Ylva. Bjorn’s mother is not very pleased with me.”
Tyra tilted her head back and let out a booming laugh that filled the market. A few trolls looked at them with disappointed expressions, but most of them seemed to watch the proceedings with amusement before they went back to their work or shopping.
“Ylva is not known for being an easy person to be around. I’m not surprised you’re finding her difficult. What’s got her all in a knot?” Tyra started guiding her through the shops, bypassing many of the stalls that Astrid would have originally paused at.
“Bjorn’s sleeping on the couch.”
“Why?”
The innocence of the question made Astrid hesitate to answer. The trolls seemed far more easygoing with their bodies. They touched each other all the time. She saw so many of them hugging, kissing, always touching each other in some way. They linked arms, held each other’s hands, tugged and pulled each other when there was no reason to.
Making Bjorn sleep on the couch would be so far beyond what Tyra would understand. Clearing her throat, she came up with the very first lie that she could. “He snores.”
Tyra blinked at her. “What?”
Oh, she was in it now. So rather than preserve her dignity, she just made snoring sounds. Loudly. Very similar to the performance she’d put on in the labyrinth, honestly. Honking, pig-like noises and then she shrugged. “While he sleeps. The whole time.”
Tyra’s eyes had widened in horror. “You should make him sleep outside then.”
“I agree. But still, it angered Ylva, so I thought I’d get her a gift.”
“By the gods,” Tyra muttered before dragging her into a jewelry stall. “You should get her plugs for her ears. Perhaps she’s angry because she isn’t sleeping at all.”
The lie would haunt her for the rest of her days here. She was certain of it.
The stall they walked into was a good distraction, though. Astrid had always loved jewelry. Perhaps that was part of why she didn’t mind so much being a priestess. Some of them had fought very early on to not be part of the order. A few girls hated even the thought of being a priestess, but Astrid had seen how beautiful the older girls were, and how they dripped in wealth, and she had wanted to be like them.
Standing here was a bit like the first moment she’d seen those priestesses. Surrounded by wealth and jewelry so delicate, it looked like they were conjured out of thin air rather than created by a real person.
“These are beautiful,” she said, noticing that the woman standing behind the stall was staring at her.
Not just looking at a human, but staring. And the more she looked, the more upset the woman seemed to be. Astrid tried to ignore it by looking at the jewelry, but soon enough, even Tyra noticed.
“Give me a moment,” she said, before pulling the other troll woman to the side.
Astrid tried not to listen to their conversation. She picked up a pair of stunning ruby earrings. They were like little drops of blood, suspended by such thin metal it almost looked like there was nothing holding them at all. They would defy gravity insuch a way, and she thought maybe Ylva would really like these. Astrid had certainly never seen any earrings like them before.
She placed them in the center of the stall and then started looking at the necklaces. Maybe there would be a matching set, but she had no idea how much they cost. The bag full of pearls should be enough, but she wasn’t all that certain if the trolls even liked pearls. They seemed to be more interested in gemstones.
Unfortunately, the necklaces were closer to the other two women, who were muttering loud enough for Astrid to hear them.
“No!” the vendor said, her voice a little too loud. “She slights Bjorn, flaunting herself throughout the market like there is nothing wrong. I will not sell to her.”
